


The Day of the Dead

by sociallyawkwardteen



Category: Coco (2017), Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Alternate Universe, Coco AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 05:09:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16486496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sociallyawkwardteen/pseuds/sociallyawkwardteen
Summary: Dia De Los Muertos is an important day for the Pepper family, but they never expected to have to add Lewis to the ofrenda so soon.Vivi didn't know how to react after the accident. Her boyfriend was dead and her best friend was severely injured. She just wanted to see Lewis again.





	The Day of the Dead

**Author's Note:**

> This is somewhat a mix of Mystery Skulls Animated and Coco. It's more the concepts and themes of Coco being used, not really the plot. I don't claim to be an expert on any part of the Day of the Dead celebrations. If I accidentally wrote something in a way that is offensive to the culture behind that tradition, please let me know so I can fix it. 
> 
> This mixes in a headcanon of both the Peppers and the Kingsmen families being of Mexican descent. Also Arthur doesn't have his mechanical arm.

It was Dia De Los Muertos. The Pepper family was in the process of preparing their home for next three days festivities. The young girls helped with various smaller preparations with their other relatives, allowing their parents to be alone.

Mr. and Mrs. Pepper stood alone in front of the newest ofrenda, having just put the last finishing touches on. The ofrenda wasn't overly extravagant. It sat on top of a table and had three tiers. Orange flowers lined the base in large bouquets. The base tier had several purple lit candles and a water basin with a washcloth. The second tier held several items: a plate of raspberry pastries, a small basket of chili peppers, a violin, and a few pieces of music. The third, and top, tier had a singular photograph. 

Mrs. Pepper picked up the photo tenderly. Her oldest, and only, son already had an ofrenda. It didn't feel right. He had only been twenty-one. Mr. Pepper stood silently beside her. It was strange to see him so quiet, but what was there to say? Lewis's death haunted them everyday. All it took was one car accident to change everything. It was like a lightbulb had gone out in their lives. Even through there was still light from other sources, you were always aware that it was darker. 

Mrs. Pepper put the photo down. It had only be a few weeks since the accident. Lewis's younger sisters clearly missed their brother, but for his parents, it was too deep, too glaring. They could physically feel the hole in their home that he used to fill. 

Soft sobs drew Mrs. Pepper's attention to her husband. She wrapped her arms around him as he started crying. 

“He was so young too..” Mr. Pepper whispered between cries. Mrs. Pepper did not respond. There was nothing  _ to _ say, so she simply held him while he calmed down. 

A few minutes passed before a soft knock sounded on the door. Mr. Pepper cleaned up his face the best he could, and Mrs. Pepper opened the door. 

“Sorry, if we're intruding,” Vivi said while entering with Arthur. 

“You're not. What is it, Vivi?” Mrs. Pepper asked. 

“We were…we were wondering if we could leave something for Lewis?” Vivi asked nervously. 

Mrs. Pepper smiled softly and said, “Of course. We left room on the ofrenda from your offerings.” 

Vivi gave a relieved smile, yet a hint of sadness lingered in her eyes, “Thank you.” 

Arthur approached the ofrenda and placed a small stuffed alpaca in an empty spot. 

“It was still in my van… I figured he'd want it back, since he could never sleep without it.” Arthur chuckled, “A grown man still sleeping with his stuffed animal. It was somewhat endearing how much he cared for it.” 

Mrs. Pepper smiled softly and put a hand on Arthur's right shoulder. “How are you, Arthur? You only got released from the hospital as few days ago,” she said gently. 

“Well, recovering from losing an arm takes a while.” Arthur joked, “but I am doing better.”

Before Mrs. Pepper could say anything else, the sound of someone softly crying caught her attention. 

“Vivi..” Arthur said, noticing it was her that was crying and walking to her. 

“W-we had matching lockets,” Vivi said, staring at a small golden heart-shaped locket in her hands, “He'd want his back.”

Vivi placed the necklace gently on the ofrenda then turned and hugged Arthur tightly. He held her as closely as he could with one arm, gently running his fingers through her hair to comfort her. 

After a few moments, Vivi pulled away, taking deep breaths as she rubbed away her tears. Arthur kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

“If you can, you're welcome to join us tonight. I'm sure Lewis would love to see you.” Mr. Pepper invited. 

“I appreciate it, but I can't. I have plans with my family tonight.” Vivi said. 

“And I have my own ofrendas to set up,” Arthur said with a smile, “but thank you.”

“Well, if either of you get the chance, you are more than welcome.” Mr. Pepper said. 

The two friends thanked him then left together. They got into Arthur's van and started back towards their homes. As Arthur drove, Vivi pulled out an old thick book and opened it. 

Arthur glanced at her and asked, “What’cha got there?” 

“A spellbook.” Vivi said bluntly while flipping through the pages. 

Arthur laughed, “Good one, Vivi. What is it really?” When he didn't get a response, he glanced at her, confused. 

“Wait, you were serious?” Arthur asked. 

“Yes, and I've already tested one of the spells so I know it's real.” Vivi said, settling on a certain page. 

“Why do you need a spellbook?” Arthur asked nervously. 

“To see Lewis.” 

Arthur slammed on the brakes, bringing the van to a harsh stop, then he faced Vivi. 

“Vivi, no, we can't do that.” Arthur said sternly. 

“Why not?” Vivi said stubbornly. 

“I know you miss him, and I miss him too, but this is not how you handle it. We can't just summon his spirit! You know he wouldn't want that!” Arthur said. 

“We aren't going to summon his spirit! We're going to visit him!” Vivi said somewhat angrily. 

“No, there's no ‘we’ in this. We're  _ not _ going to cast some random spell on ourselves to visit a spirit.” Arthur sighed. 

“Well, I'm doing it whether you join me or not.” Vivi huffed and crossed her arms. 

Arthur sighed. This was a terrible idea. Disturbing an innocent soul was bad enough, but going to Lewis? He was probably upset enough about dying young without his two best friends appearing out of nowhere. There was only so much knowledge of the afterlife. What if it was impossible to return? Both of them had families that would mourn. It wouldn't be fair to them. Not to mention how it wouldn't be fair to Lewis's family. If anyone deserved to see him one last time, it was his family. 

But Vivi would do it, even if she had to go by herself. She was stubborn like that. Usually, she was stubborn for the right reasons, but this time emotions and mild head trauma was clouding her judgement. Arthur should at least go with her to keep her safe and prevent her from making worse choices. 

“Fine,” Arthur said with a shake of his head, “I still don't like this, but I'll go with you.” 

“Really?” Vivi said hopefully. 

“Yeah, after all, someone has to keep you from doing anything too reckless.” Arthur said. 

Vivi smiled gratefully. “Come to my house as close to midnight as possible.” she said. 

Arthur dropped her off at her home then sighed. It was going to be a long night. 


End file.
